What men desire in women

What men desire in women

Facial attractiveness

When pursuing a long-term mating strategy (that is, a serious, committed relationship), men zero in on a woman’s face. In one recent study by researchers at the University of Austin at Texas, 75% of men told to favour a long-term mating strategy indicated that a woman’s face was a more important consideration to them than her body. While this news is perhaps not shocking, another study from the Kinsey Institute has revealed that during sex, compared to their female partners, men are more likely to initially look at their lover’s face.

Together, these studies may offer some insight into why women spend significantly more time primping their faces by applying makeup and doing their hair than they do adorning their bodies.

She appreciates you

One of the major complaints men have in a long term relationship is that they often feel criticised, as if nothing they do can please their partner. In other words, they feel unappreciated, which (unsurprisingly) has consequences for their relationship and the couple’s sex life.

Conversely, research by marriage expert John Gottman has shown that partners who regularly show appreciation for each other report higher levels of overall satisfaction with their relationships.

Bodily attractiveness

A 2010 study by Jaime Confer, Carin Perilloux and David Buss claims that when guys are told to look at photos of a woman and think about her as a short-term dating prospect, men indicate that a woman’s body is more of a priority to them than her face.

The idea here is that when cavemen were pursuing a short-term mating strategy, body cues, such as whether a potential sexual partner appeared fertile or was already pregnant, would have alerted a man as to whether getting busy would be worthwhile (genetically speaking). The translation is that for modern men seeking a one night stand, a hot body counts.

Self sacrificing

A study published by Vladas Griskevicius of Arizona State University and his colleagues in 2007 demonstrated that women in a romantic state of mind are more likely than men to endorse volunteering or engaging in charitable deeds.

The catch, however, is that women indicated a preference for engaging in this self-sacrificing behaviour in public places suggesting perhaps an unconscious sexual motivation on their parts and the notion that men may find this trait appealing in a woman.